


finding out

by smartbuckley



Series: Buddie Codas [10]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, M/M, POV Maddie Buckley, Relationship Reveal, Secret Relationship, post episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23193622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smartbuckley/pseuds/smartbuckley
Summary: After the party, Maddie learns some startling truths about Buck and his relationship with Eddie. Post episode coda/tag to S03E11 - Seize the Day.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: Buddie Codas [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1527032
Comments: 36
Kudos: 694





	finding out

**Author's Note:**

> There aren't really any major triggers or warnings here, but if I forgot something, please let me know ASAP. Spoilers for the most recent episode.

With assorted plates in her arms, Maddie made her way over to the kitchen, exhaustion coursing throughout her entire system as she walked slowly, not paying attention to her surroundings. Behind her, she can hear Chimney and his brother on one of the couches, talking quietly as a sleeping Christopher lies between them. Maddie wants to look back and take in the sight - but she finds herself moving forwards, the weight of the plates in her arms becoming too heavy for her. When she’s finally able to put the plates down on the table, Maddie lets out a small breath of relief, shaking her arms out before she continues walking towards the kitchen, stopping suddenly with wide eyes when she notices Buck and Eddie washing the dishes in front of her, neither of them noticing her abrupt entrance. Carefully walking backwards, Maddie tries her best to exit the kitchen, but before she gets very far, she bumps into Chimney, and she looks at him quickly with wide eyes and a shake of her head, nodding it towards Buck and Eddie while Chimney frowns, nodding in response.

Turning towards Eddie and her brother, Maddie can’t help but tilt her head, watching the two of them and how….effortless they seemingly are together. They’re standing side by side, Buck washing the dishes in the sink before handing them off to Eddie, who’s drying them quickly and then placing them on the rack, offering Buck a small smile every time he does so. It’s when Maddie spots that smile that she remembers the words Buck had said to earlier, about how this was Eddie’s home and he’s not a guest, and Maddie can’t help but frown as she continues to watch them, trying to comprehend what’s going on. She can feel Chimney’s arms around her waist tightening a little, and she tries to take a step forward so she can break the curtain of… intimacy, that she spots between Eddie and her brother but Chimney stops her, a frown on his face as he shakes his head, almost like he wants to see what’s going to happen next.

“So hey, why did you leave and then come back with cookies?” Maddie hears Eddie ask after a few minutes of silence, and Maddie can’t help but frown when she hears her brother snort before shaking his head. She watches as Buck shifts on his feet, passing Eddie another plate before he grabs a glass from the wate, slowly washing it, like he’s trying to think over his words, though Maddie doesn’t quite understand.

“Maddie said, as a guest, I should arrive with something for the host,” Buck ends up saying, and Maddie can hear the mirth in her brother’s voice, though she doesn’t understand why until she hears Eddie chuckle, shifting a little.

“Did you tell her you’re not a guest?” Eddie asks and Maddie looks towards her brother at this question, watches as he shifts his body in response so that he’s angled towards Eddie, a grin on his face.

“I did. And I was, you will be happy to know, very close to telling Maddie  _ why _ I’m not a guest in our home,” Buck snorts and Maddie finds herself blinking at the words that had come from Buck. He had called Eddie’s home  _ their _ home. He had used the word  _ our _ in regards to Eddie’s home. She turns towards Eddie, watching him carefully, positive that the other man is going to look abashed, and close to rejection but she finds herself surprised to find Eddie smiling softly at her brother, stepping closer to him and raising his hand, caressing her brother’s cheek. Maddie has to blink, her mouth dropping open in surprise before she closes it, watching the two even more closely than before.

“Hm, that we’ve been dating since shortly after Halloween?” Eddie asks and Maddie nearly gasps out loud before she bites her lower lip and looks towards Chimney, who is looking just as surprised as she is, She doesn’t stare long at her boyfriend, shifting a little to look at her brother once more after a minute or two, smiling when she sees the grin on Buck’s face as he stops washing the dish in his hands and steps closer to Eddie.

“Oh no, not that. No, I was going to tell her how absolutely in love with you I am, and how I’ve formed this wonderful family with you and Chris,” she hears Buck whisper and part of Maddie suddenly feels like she’s watching something too intimate, that she should turn around and let her brother and Eddie have their privacy, but with Chimney not moving, she’s stuck.

She’s stuck watching Eddie as he grins back at her brother, his arms wrapping around Buck’s waist before he kisses him lightly on the lips, pulling away with a soft hum that Maddie can barely hear herself. 

“Absolutely in love with me, huh,” Eddie teases and Maddie wants to smile, but her eyes flick towards her brother, and his grin and her breath hitches when she realizes that  _ yeah _ , Buck is absolutely in love with Eddie. She can’t help but wonder why she never noticed it - why she never noticed that Buck’s feelings had changed, or that Buck had done something about them. Part of her even wants to know why Buck never said anything to her, since they usually tend to tell one another  _ everything _ but Maddie quickly shakes the thought out of her head and goes back to focusing on the here and now instead of her thoughts, blinking when she realizes Buck’s own arms have wrapped around Eddie’s neck, bringing him in even closer to Buck’s body. 

“Don’t act like you don’t know how head over heels in love with you I am, Eddie Diaz,” Buck chuckles, and Maddie can see her brother running his fingers through Eddie’s hair, can see Eddie sinking into the touch and when she looks over towards her brother once more, she can see the love radiating from him -- proving his words to be absolutely true, though Maddie really shouldn’t find herself surprised by that, knowing that when Buck loves someone, he loves them with  _ everything _ he has in him.

“So you almost told Maddie about us? Does that mean we’re finally ready to tell  _ everyone _ about us?” Eddie asks and Buck looks at him with a small smile, a hum escaping from him that has Maddie leaning forward, wanting to know the answer, though Chimney stops her from making any too much noise as she does so.

“If you’re ready, then I’m ready. Though, with the one woman asking us if we were single, and then Maddie assuming I’m a guest -- I would really like to tell everyone we’re dating. That way there’s no hidden looks or meanings, despite how fun the past few months have been,” Buck says and Maddie finds herself grinning, looking towards Chimney, who is shaking his head and trying his best to silence his laughter. Maddie knows the two of them are incredibly lucky that both men are too distracted by one another to realize they’re being eavesdropped on, and while she does feel slightly guilty, she finds herself turning back towards her brother when she hears Eddie’s voice.

“And because you hate keeping secrets,” Eddie laughs and Maddie has to stifle her own laughter because she knows just how true that is - since even though Buck is good at keeping secrets, he hates having to do it.

“Oh, there’s definitely that, too. But mainly, I just want everyone to know how lucky I am to have you and Christopher in my life,” Buck admits, his voice softening as he does so and Maddie coos silently, looking towards Chimney with wide eyes, a small grin on her face as Chimney lets out a sigh and shakes his breath. She looks back over to her brother, grinning when she sees him and Eddie kissing, before she quickly frowns when she realizes Chimney is pulling her away.

“C’mon, Maddie, let’s give them some space,” she hears and she can’t help but pout a little before following her boyfriend back into the living room, making note of Albert on his phone. Her eyes take in the room in a whole new light though, and Maddie can’t believe she didn’t recognize the personal touches that  _ scream _ her brother. A blanket on the back of the couch that Maddie knows their nanny knit Buck when he was a child, his favorite hooded sweater on the hooks by the door, his keys on the table -- Maddie can see it all and with her heart pounding inside of her chest, she finds herself taking more and more things in, a small smile on her face that she tries to relax when Buck and Eddie come out of the kitchen, nudging one another.

She can see the happiness that’s radiating off her brother, and all she wants to do is go up to him and hug him, ask him all of the questions that she can think of but instead she stays back, watching the two of them head towards Christopher and clearly, complete a routine that they’re used to and Maddie knows -- 

Her brother is happy, and that’s all she could ask for.

**Author's Note:**

> Story isn't beta-edited. Comments are always appreciated and responded back to. Come yell at me on my [tumblr](https://smartbuckleystrand.tumblr.com/bspi).


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